A high voltage source and a vacuum are generally required to generate x-rays. Electrons are accelerated from a cathode, across a gap in the vacuum, to an anode at high voltage, where they collide with a heavy metal target, and release bremsstrahlung photons with a distribution of frequencies in the x-ray spectrum. There are two conventional ways to create these high voltages—transformers and influence machines (e.g., static electricity machines). Transformers are historically preferred due to their relatively compact size and wide availability.
Static electricity machines are generally not preferred to generate high voltage due to the size of the machine. For example, in a static electricity machine, a high voltage is generated in air and then transferred into a vacuum tube. Thus, an alternative approach for generating the high voltage in a vacuum may be beneficial.